Cotton chopper



(No Model.) I

-- J. M. P. LYON.

COTTON CHOPPER, SGRAPER, AND HARROW.

No. 397,133. Patented Feb. 5, 1889.

NlTE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN M. P. LYON, OF LEEDS, ALABAMA.

COTTON CHOPPER, SCRAPER, AND HARROW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 397,133, dated February 5, 1889.

Application filed May 5, 1888. Serial No. 272,964. (No model.)

To all whom it may comm/'71 I lie it known that 1, JOHN M. l. LYON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Leeds, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Cotton Chopper, Scraper, and Harrow and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a combined chopper, scraper, and harrow; and it consists in the combination of devices and peculiar con struction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Among other things, my invention has for its objects, first, to provide a machine in which the ground-wheel and the devices connected therewith for reciprocating the chopper-hoe can accommodate themselves to any unevenness in the ground while still remaining in their operative positions, and in which the ground-wheel is normally pressed firmly upon the ground to insure the rotation thereof, and thus obviate the liability of the wheel being accidentally thrown where it would cease to opcrate; secondly, to provide an adjustable fulcrum for the chopper-hoe, whereby it can be elevated or depressed, as circumstances may demand, and, thirdly, to improve the general structure of the machine to promote its efficiency as a chopper, scraper, and harrow, as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a combined chopper, harrow, and scraper embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof, and Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the same.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures, A designates the main carrying frame of a combined chopper, scraper, and harrow constructed in accordance with my invention. This main frame consists of a central longitudinal beam, a, and two side beams, a, arranged on opposite sides of the central beam and firmly united thereto by suitable bolts. One of the side beams is inclined laterally to the central beam, while the other side beam has one side edge thereof cut away in an inclined line, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. To the rear end of the central beam, a, are aifixed the handles B, which are united and braced by a tie bar or rod, Z), one end of which is extended beyond one of the handles, as at b, to adapt a hook on the adjustable fulcrum of the chopper-hoe, presently described, to be detachably connected thereto and serve to support the chopper-hoe in an elevated position.

On one side of the main carrying-frame is arranged a supplemental adjustable frame, 0, which is pivotally connected to the main carrying-frame to adapt said supplemental frame to move vertically. This supplemental frame comprises a straight bar or beam, 0, and two bearings, 0 0 which are rigidly fixed t0 the bar or beam 0 at opposite ends thereof, the pivotal connection between the main and supplemental frames being effected by means of hinges secured to the beams to 0; but it is obvious that this pivotal connection can be made in other ways. the supplemental frame C is secured a short axle, D, of a large ground-wheel, D, which is adapted to rest on the ground and be rotated by frictional contact therewith as the machine is drawn along. On the inner face of this ground-wheel is formed a series of cogs or teeth, with which meshes a small pinion, e, secured on the front end of a counter-shaft, E, which is arranged along the side of the frame 0, and is journaled at its ends in the front and rear bearings, 0' 0 thereof. The rear end of this counter-shaft is extended beyond the rear bearing, and a crank-disk, F, is secured thereon, to crank-pin f of which is pivotally connected a link, F, arranged at the rear of the machine transversely thereof.

G is the chopper-hoe, arranged in a vertical position at the rear end of the machine, on the opposite side thereof to the ground-wheel and counter-shaft, and the upright shank of this hoe has two or more transverse openings, g, formed therein at its upper end, through one of which passes a pivotal bolt to adjustably connect the chopper-hoe to an adjustable bearing, H, carried by the main frame of the To the front bearing, 0', of

Lil

t the form of a flat bar and arranged transversely across the rear of the machine beneath the handles thereof, one end of thebearing being pivotal] y connected to the frame A, as at g, and the other free end thereof hav ing a longitudinal slot, 5 through which passes a vertical guide-pi n, G, fixed to the main frame A. A vertical rod, 71/, is secured to this adjustable bearing, and its upper end is bent to form a hook which is adapted, when the bearing has been elevated on itspivot, to take over the extended end of tie-rod I), and thus support: the bearing and the chopper-hoe conneetied thereto in their elevated positions The free or unconfined end of the link i is ,iivotall connected to the shank of the chopper-hoe at a pointabove the blade ll ot. the

hoe, and the shank ot the hoe rcciprocat'es between guides I, which are fixed to the main carrying-frame A. These guides preferably are flat segmental plates, which are arranged parallel with each other, and between which tlle shank of the hoe works.

The su 'iplemtmtal adjustable l'rame is i normally depressed by aspring, .1, which secured to the main frame A amt bears upon the adjustable frame, whereby the greundwheel is nornutlly forced iirmly upon the ground, and at the same time this wheel. and the frame 0 can move vertically to accommodate themselves to any unevenness in the surface of the ground.

A series of vertical. harrmv-teeth, K, are se cured to the main carryiing-frame A and arranged in a transverse line beneath the same, and in rear of these lltllt'()\\'t06tll is arranged a transversely-inclined scraper-blade, L, to

which are secured depending vertical rods 1, one of the rods beingboltted to the main frame A and the other rod being adjustably connected thereto by a nut, whereby the inelina tion of the scraper-blade can be varied. At the lower edge of the scraperblade is an inclincd cutting-edge, I, for the purpose of cut ting weeds, &c., and the outer end of. the

SCl'tllJOT-bliltit) is inclined at: an obtuse angle to the body of the blade to sweep the weeds, &c., into the space between the rows of plants.

' The scraper is braced by a rod or wire, 31, which is connected at one end to one of the rods 7, then bent around one of the harrowteeth, and finally secured to the main frame A.

The operation of my invention will be read il y understood from the t'oregt'iing ('leseription, taken in connection with the drawin 1 do not eontine myself to the relative size and proportion of parts herein shown, nor to the exact details ot' construction, as I am aware that changes therein can be made with out departing [from the principle ot' my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by lletters latent, is-

l. The combination of a carrying-tra-me, a suymlctnentalframepivotallyctmnectcdthereto and carrying a ground-wheel, a spring for nm-mally depressing the supplemental frame, a countershatft ']ournaled in the su 'mlmnenta] frame and geared to the grouml-wheel, a-

I The combination of the main frame, the

slotted fulcrum pivotally connected thereto, vertical guide passing through the slot, a chopper-h oe earri ed by th e i'ulerum, the guides between which the cho 'iper-hoe l'eeiproeates, and mechanism, as described, for reeiprocat ing the hoe, substantially as set forth.

-t. The combination of the main carrying- J'rame, a suliplemental frame pivotally connccted thereto and tii'tll' ylllg a ground-wheel and a connter-shalt, which are geared together, a spring for normally dept sing the supplemental frame, an adjustable fulcrum carried by the main frame, a chopper-hoe pivoted to the .t'ulerum and connected with the counter-shaft, the vertical harrow-teeth, and a scraper in rear olf said teeth havingthe cutting-lip and angular end, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aihx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN M. l. TJYON.

\Yitn esses:

.I'. T. SnLK, LU'rnnn L. Lyon 

